BATH — To many, modern political discourse can best be summed up as discord, anger and bad faith arguments. One small group in Bath wants to change that.

Once a month for the past two years, the group gathers in an office on the second floor of the Bath Customs House to discuss politics in a different light. This collection of Republicans and Democrats isn’t looking to change anyone else’s mind. Instead, they try to help each other understand where they’re coming from and what they respect about people they don’t necessarily agree with. The goal isn’t to debate the merits of some policy or candidate, it’s to foster understanding.

“We may change our minds through this process, and I’m open to that,” said Laurie Weber-Taft, a Bath social worker who hosts the meetings. “But yeah, I’m not hoping to change Republicans into Democrats.”

“I don’t think that the purpose of our getting together was to try to convince anyone to change their mind,” added Ellie Smith of Brunswick, one of the five regular members.

Monday evening, the group gathered in Weber-Taft’s office on the second floor of the Bath Customs House for its regular monthly meeting. A circle of chairs was drawn tightly around a table. Once a couple of bottles of wine were uncorked, the conversation started flowing.

The discussion started with a simple prompt: Name a leader from the other party that you respect, and explain why. But after a few names are brought up, the conversation takes a life of its own, wandering from concerns over media bias to how social values have changed over time to what ethical standards one should hold their party’s candidates to.

While most of the conversation was calm, cool and thoughtful, there were moments during the hour and a half when tempers did flare up, especially around culture war issues such as the confirmation of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh or free speech on college campuses. But just as things would reach a boiling point, everyone would step back and cool off. Smith, who got riled up while discussing the misconduct accusations against Kavanaugh, said one of the reasons she chooses to participate in the group is that it helps her learn to control her frustration over political issues.

“I had hoped to be a little less volatile,” admitted Smith. “It doesn’t work very well, but I tell you, I used to be a lot worse.”

Now when she gets worked up on an issue, she knows when to step back and, as she put it, “shut up.”

After a few sips of wine and apologies all around, the conversation would be back on track in a more genial manner.

Bettering oneself is one of the main reasons all five participants said that they keep coming back to talk about politics.

“Because things are so complex, for me selfishly, I want to develop a more well-rounded view. I want to be challenged. I want someone to shoot holes in my argument, and then I can go away, think about it, maybe do more research and then come back,” said Weber-Taft. “It forces me to read up on the issues.”

As the evening drew to a close, the group began discussing their next meeting. Perhaps, suggested one person, everyone should bring in an article without saying where it’s from, and then everyone can guess whether it’s biased. The group shares many articles with each other either in person or in an email chain, partly to help others understand where they’re coming from.

Despite occasional bouts of frustration in the hour and a half discussion, at the end of the meeting its all smiles.

Weber-Taft was inspired by the Make Shift Coffee Shop forums that were launched by Craig Freshley of Brunswick back in 2017 following the divisive 2016 election. At the Make Shift Coffee Shop forums, Freshley would present a topic for the audience to discuss, such as the media, or tax cuts. But instead of debating the merits of any policy, Freshley encouraged people to ask questions about those policies to people of different political persuasions. The point of the conversations was to gain a greater appreciation for where people on the opposite side of the spectrum were coming from.

“The reason why I wanted to do this group, one, is I think it’s really important right now in our country that we are able to talk with each other about these issues and that we’re able to see each other as human beings. You know, it’s so easy to get into that emotional place. We sort of skirt that when we’re here, but we’re all here together to not demonize the other party or people,” said Weber-Taft.

Following that initial forum, Weber-Taft, a Democrat activist with Sagadahoc Indivisible, wanted to continue the conversation. Weber-Taft reached out to a Republican who was present, Nina McLaughlin of Brunswick, after the event to continue the conversation. At the time McLaughlin was working as the director of communications for the Maine GOP.

The pair used email lists from the Maine GOP and from Freshley to put the word out, and the initial response was strong.

“For me, it helps to even challenge my own beliefs, too,” said McLaughlin. “I think a lot of times you’re considering what you said, or some of your beliefs that have been challenged and I think that you wonder, ‘Well, why did that challenge me, or why did I think that and where did that come from?’”

“It also helps us to understand where we stand,” she added. “I understand myself a lot more (from being in this group).”

The group whittled down over time. Not everyone who had attended a Make Shift Coffee House event or one of the earlier meetings was ready to make a bigger commitment to an ongoing conversation.

“I think for a lot of people, they’d come one time but they’re not really thinking they’re making a commitment to (keep coming back),” said Weber-Taft. “I mean, I feel really lucky that we got this group of people together.”

Others dropped out when they realized that the group wasn’t committed to changing other people’s minds, but was instead focused on fostering understanding and communication between people of varying opinions.

“It’s funny, because we do challenge each other’s stereotypes or each others beliefs, but at the end of the day we all (…) have a lot more in common than we have different,” said McLaughlin.

The small group is currently looking for members who are similarly interested in discussing politics and learning from people that they might not align with politically. Anyone interested in joining the group can reach out to Weber-Taft at lwebertaft@gwi.net to determine whether they’d be a good fit for their conversations.

nstrout@timesrecord.com